As Missouri students gear up for a new school year, local school board members are being briefed on key challenges ahead. One major topic: the growing impact of artificial intelligence in education because it can do schoolwork for students instead of them learning on their own.
Jim Hinson, executive director of the Education, Governance and Leadership Association in Missouri, told Missourinet, one of the changes this year is the ever-evolving increase in the use of artificial intelligence and how to regulate it in the classroom.
“I mean, we have glasses now that will record what’s going on,” said Hinson. Well, what you’re seeing, we have glasses that you can actually talk to and ask meta. What am I seeing? Do we really want them to be able to memorize things? They can research quickly.”
Hinson said how AI filters into the classroom is the challenge facing educators and school members today. AI does have positives, such as helping teachers to customize learning for each student.
Hinson told Missourinet, funding will be another major concern—driven by federal uncertainty, Governor Mike Kehoe’s School Funding Modernization Task Force and many Republican lawmakers working to lower property taxes.
“And so, it’s districts not only have budgeted for this year, but really trying to figure out what does that fiscal year 26-27 school district budget looks like. That’s another very significant challenge,” said Hinson.
Governor Kehoe established the School Funding Modernization Task Force to review and recommend updates to the state’s K-12 funding model, which has not been significantly changed in about 20 years.
Hinson said that anytime there is a funding formula change it impacts school districts differently.
“How it might impact the St. Louis region might be entirely different, how it impacts the southeastern portion of the state, and so the legislature and really the department of Elementary and secondary Education, trying to address the needs of each individual school district that vary significantly across the state. That’s a great challenge.”
The task force’s report is due at the end of 2026.
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